A Dog's Life
by carcassi
Summary: Shelby, secret mastermind, hatches a devious plot to win back the loyalty of his two favorite minions, Clark and Chloe. Half schmoop, half romance, all Chlark! CONCLUSION now up!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Smallville's real mastermind isn't Lex Luthor after all……_

**Chapter One**

The Mighty Golden Hunter trotted on four paws across the grassy space between the yellow building and the red building, and paused to survey his territory, sniffing at the early morning air for any sign of his chief minion, The Boy. As yet, he only detected one member of his pack, the human Lady, moving around in the kitchen, and he snorted in frustration.

It was The Boy who had given him the nonsensical name of "Shelby," but in spite of that, Golden liked his Boy very much, and part of the reason was that both of them were so much more than they seemed. The Boy smelled very different from the humans who lived here; there was a sweet, summery scent to him, even on cold days, that pleased Golden's sensitive nose. He was powerful, too. When Golden had escaped from the Dark Scary Place, where he'd been locked in a cage and stuck with sharp needles by humans in white coats, it was The Boy who'd defended him. In return, Golden watched over his Boy, once even bringing him back to life by barking in his ear. Yet, amazingly, The Boy never once noticed anything unusual about his new "pet."

Clearly, super-intelligence was not one of his abilities.

Luckily, his Boy could rely on Clever Girl for that. Clever Girl had short, bright hair that was almost as golden as his own fur, and he liked the spirited way she shook it as she spoke. Best of all, almost every night she and The Boy would bring him snacks—real food, like steak and cheese chunks. While he feasted, Clever Girl petted him, brushed him, scratched his ears, and told him how handsome he was. Her laugh was low and happy and, unlike some other humans' laughter, it didn't hurt his ears. (He snorted, remembering the loud, shrill voice of Sneezing Girl, who had thankfully left his territory.)

It was gratifying to be respected. Never once did he have to force a tail wag. His Boy and Clever Girl were wonderful minions. Life was good.

Until last week, that is. And all because of Whiny Girl.

A soft growl escaped Golden's mouth. Whiny Girl had invaded his territory many times, and every time she did, she distracted his Boy from important minion duties. She looked down her nose at Golden, talked only about herself, and made endless annoying demands on his Boy for "love," "trust," and "secrets," to all of which his Boy listened without objection. Why, Golden had no idea, unless his Boy considered her an eligible mate.

Golden shivered under his thick fur coat. Clearly, when it came to appearances, his Boy was just as easy to fool as any human. It was too bad he didn't have Golden's nose, or he'd realize how much nicer Clever Girl smelled—and how strongly his Boy reacted to that smell. Golden had noticed, and it had pleased him very much.

And, then, last week, the situation had spun out of control. As fond as he was of his Boy, it had been painful to hear him mope and sigh and plead with Whiny Girl over something called a "wedding." He'd hoped that Clever Girl would show up and talk some sense into his Boy, but no such luck.

Since then, the treats and the brushing had stopped. Clever Girl hardly ever appeared, and when she did, Golden was disturbed by a change in her scent. He'd caught occasional whiffs of that unwelcome visitor, the Red-Haired Puppy, before, but now they were getting disturbingly strong. Worst of all, his Boy had been too busy circling around Whiny Girl to teach the Puppy his place.

Something had to be done about this.

Reluctantly, Golden concluded that his Boy had been conquered by dark forces, possibly those of Whiny Girl's and her mate, the cold-eyed Bald One. His Boy and the Bald One had been snarling at each other for months now, and mostly over Whiny Girl.

Immediate steps had to be taken to neutralize their influence. Golden wanted his minions back.

Like any other alpha male worth his salt, Golden had a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_An unsuspecting Clark enters the story….._

**Chapter Two**

Dressed in his usual jeans, flannel and work boots, Clark Kent emerged from the kitchen at first light and set off toward the cow pasture to start the day's chores. A muffled bark from the direction of the barn brought him up short; what was wrong with Shelby? When it was followed by a second, more insistent, bark, he changed course to investigate.

The big Golden Retriever was hunkered down just outside the barn, snout between his paws, intently studying a freshly-dug hole in front of him. At the sound of his approach, Shelby's head popped up and tilted in that funny way that always made Clark smile. Obviously, he wanted to show Clark something.

"Hey, boy," Clark murmured, kneeling by his pet and scratching behind his ears. Shelby's tail pounded the beaten earth enthusiastically. "What do you have for me?"

At the bottom of the small hole was a slim metal box. The box was open, and it was empty. Clark blanched, suddenly jolted wide awake, even at this hour.

"The octagonal disk," he breathed, clutching Shelby's neck a shade too hard. At the protesting yelp, he released it immediately. "It's gone."

He looked down at his pet gratefully. "Thanks for showing me this, buddy." He stared, unseeing, across the misty fields, wondering uncomfortably who might have taken the last remaining piece of his destroyed spaceship, which was now the key to his Arctic Fortress.

Could it have been Lex? Wincing inwardly he remembered the last time he'd seen his former friend, driving away from the church with his new bride, Lana. Clark winced inwardly, and felt his teeth clench, as they had so many times since that wedding. It had been, he felt sure, the most painful day of his life.

Except, of course, for his father's funeral, he reminded himself quickly.

And, oh yes, except for his wife Alicia's death. That had been bad, too.

But this was LANA. The girl he'd always worshiped, from the time he'd first seen her in kindergarten. And now she was gone forever. He sighed loudly, whispering her name, one hand still stroking his pet's head.

A low growl rose up from Shelby's direction, and when Clark glanced downwards, startled out of his reverie, he saw that the dog was scratching frantically at the hole.

The reminder brought Clark back to the problem at hand. He cleared away his memories and considered his options.

"Lex," he breathed, resentfully. "It's got to be him."

Shelby whined softly. Clark resumed petting him, thinking out loud. "But how could he have known where this was hidden?"

No one, not even his mother or Chloe, had known about this hiding place. And he'd been very careful to avoid drawing attention to it, except for that one time….

With an unpleasant twinge in the pit of his stomach, he remembered a recent visit of Lana's to the farm, when she'd dropped by to pick up some muffins his mother had made for the Talon. He'd stayed in the barn, hoping to avoid seeing her, but, for some strange reason, Shelby, who was normally very well-behaved, had started raising an unholy ruckus right over the disk's hiding spot, puzzling both Lana and his mother. The dog kept on barking and scratching at the dirt until Clark ran out to drag him away.

He'd tried to laugh it off as a buried bone, but from the suspicious look on her face, it was clear that Lana wasn't entirely convinced by his story. He wondered if she'd put two and two together. Not about the disk, of course, but she might easily have thought that he was hiding something important.

Surely, though, Lana wouldn't betray him to Lex,……would she?

If only he'd thought to change the disk's hiding place.

He frowned at his pet, who'd risen to all fours, looking up at him with a hopeful expression and a wagging tail. "Shelby, you don't know it, but you might have caused me a major headache. I wish I knew what to do about it."

Almost by instinct, he found himself reaching into his pocket for his cell phone and hitting Chloe's speed-dial, in spite of the early hour. It had become almost second nature for him to rely on her opinion, and he needed it now. He hoped she wouldn't be too angry about the early wake-up call.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Thank you for the awesome feedback, guys:) I'm glad I'm not the only one to appreciate the genius that is Shelby._

_The next two chapters are fairly long, as Golden's plan enters Phase Two, and Chloe enters the picture. _

**Chapter Three**

"Do you realize that in Metropolis, not even _Starbuck's_ is open yet?" Chloe demanded incredulously, as she slammed the door of her VW Bug and strode into the barn, wearing a sweatshirt and jeans that looked as though she'd slept in them.

Maybe she had. It wouldn't be the first time his best friend had pulled an all-nighter to finish a hot story.

In spite of his fears, Clark found himself grinning down apologetically at the top of her head, which barely reached above his shoulder. It was funny, but Chloe always brought a smile to his face, no matter how much trouble he was in.

He tried to remember the last time he and Lana had smiled together, and it surprised him that he couldn't. Lana had eyes like a doe, and her beauty was just as delicate, and just as fragile, as his mother's collection of bone china.

He'd always been so afraid of breaking her. With Lana, he felt he always had to be on his guard. Not so with Chloe.

Right now, his petite friend's normally glossy blonde hair stuck out in all directions. As she reached up to rub her eyes sleepily, he noticed that one sleeve of her baggy red sweatshirt was fraying at the cuff. A pillow-crease framed one side of her face.

Clark thought she looked adorable.

Shelby trotted up to her at once, tail waving energetically, and sat, cocking his head expectantly. Chloe glanced at him briefly, laughed, and dropped a hand to scratch him behind his ears, and he gave her an appreciative snort.

"So," she asked Clark, getting right to the point, "what is so important that it couldn't even wait for my first latte of the day?"

He struggled to control his smile. This was serious. "My octagonal disk is gone. I think Lana or Lex may have taken it."

Chloe's eyes snapped wide open. "Whoa, hold on a minute. Let's review: What, when, where, and how? You can skip the 'why,' and we'll get to the 'who' in a minute."

After listening to his brief explanation and kneeling to examine the hole, she rose, brushing her hair back from her face and looking at him in reproach. "I can't believe you didn't change the hiding place after that."

He mumbled a guilty assent.

"And you suspect Lana?"

He couldn't meet her eyes. Chloe had an uncomfortable habit of cutting straight to the point. "I don't know," he answered, miserably.

"What's with you, Clark?" The sudden sharp question startled him into looking at her upturned face. All trace of sleepiness had disappeared, and her bright hazel eyes watched him closely. "Not even two weeks ago, Lana was the love of your life. You were going to marry her. Now, you suspect her of spying on you?"

Shelby nuzzled Chloe's hand, and she stroked him softly, still looking at Clark.

"Yes….no!" he shot back, more forcefully than he'd intended. Chloe straightened, raising her eyebrows quizzically.

"Which one is it, yes or no?"

He looked at her with annoyance. Did Chloe have to ask so many _questions_? "I told you, I don't know," he repeated, and flushed under her renewed scrutiny.

"I think you do," she said, calmly. "The new Mrs. Luthor is learning fast, isn't she? She's really one of the family now."

"That's not fair!" he shouted, stung. Chloe backed up a step, but her bright hazel eyes remained fixed on Clark defiantly. Shelby growled.

The unspoken challenge in that gaze hurt Clark far more than any physical blow. Even Lana's soft eyes had never made him feel this uncomfortable. It was as if Chloe could see into places that he'd rather keep hidden.

He looked away from her. "Lex probably tricked her somehow. She'd never do this on her own."

"Oh, come on, Clark," Chloe scoffed. "Give Lana some credit. She's pretty good at deception."

"I thought she was your best friend," he snapped, bristling.

"So did I," she said evenly, looking him squarely in the eye. "Until she locked me in the wine cellar."

Clark stared at her, stunned. "What?"

She nodded, her mouth pressed into a thin, tight line. "Yeah, I finally figured out that doors don't lock themselves. I think we underestimated our favorite bride's curiosity. Her stunt may not have been life-threatening, but it won't go down in the annals of _Best Friends Weekly_, either."

Clark shook his head and struggled against the implications. "It's not possible. She wouldn't do that."

From his spot on the floor next to them, Shelby growled so loudly that Clark did a double-take at his pet. The dog stopped immediately and lay his head down between his paws with a quick snort.

"She knows your secret, Clark," Chloe said softly. "Or at least part of it. That's what you always wanted, wasn't it?"

Clark was beginning to wonder. "Not that way," he said unhappily. "She used you as bait. You could have been hurt!"

He reached out to wrap his hand around hers. She flushed slightly, and quickly slipped out of his grasp. "Thanks, I appreciate the concern."

Dropping her eyes, she added, "Sorry to burst your bubble."

Chloe's revelation had hit him with the force of a Kryptonite boulder, but somehow it also left Clark with a sense of relief. He'd been trapped in a dream before, but this time he had only himself to blame. At least it was over, now. "Bubbles always burst, sooner or later," he said sadly. "I guess this one was 'way past due."

He moved closer to her and took her hand again. She let it stay in place this time, and he felt his spirits rise a little.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _Golden's plan looks like it's working perfectly, but appearances can be deceiving….._

**Chapter Four**

Chloe's face tilted to look up at Clark. "I'm not happy that Lana married Lex, but I'm glad she didn't marry you. She isn't your type, Clark."

He nodded. "I guess not."

There was a pause. Chloe cleared her throat and stepped back from him, crossed her arms and regarded him thoughtfully. "So, what do we do now?" she demanded, her tone all business. "Knock on the door of Luthor Manor and ask Lex to return the key to your blown-up spaceship?"

The brisk reminder of their immediate problem jolted him back to the present.

"I was kind of hoping you'd have some ideas," he confessed. "You always do."

She smiled. "Chloe, the Idea Machine. Maybe that's my freak ability."

"You shouldn't joke about that," he chided.

"I'm not."

She was still smiling, but Clark caught the tension in her voice, and went very still, listening automatically for her heartbeat. It was rapid, like a frightened bird's.

"I promised you I'd be your personal bomb squad, Chloe," he said, more gently. "I haven't forgotten, don't worry."

Her chin lifted. "Really? Are you sure?"

He stared, uncertain how to answer. She shrugged, her smile tightening. "It's O.K. Don't mind me, I haven't had my caffeine today yet." Shelby padded up to her and nuzzled her hand, whining softly. Absently, she patted his nose while keeping her eyes on Clark. They were wide and, he thought, a little too bright.

"It's not O.K., Chloe," he replied, peering at her closely. In sudden alarm, he switched to X-ray mode, fearful that she'd concealed some injury from him. Something definitely was wrong, and he intended to find out what it was.

"Hey! Cut that out!" she ordered, crossing her arms again. "I'm not wearing any….um, I mean, stop that!"

Oops. "Sorry," he mumbled, making a mental note to work on making his X-ray technique less noticeable. At least he'd learned that nothing was wrong with her bone structure. And if her biggest concern was a lack of underwear, there couldn't be much else wrong with her physically.

Nothing at all, in fact. Clark struggled to keep the appreciative grin off his face, knowing that Chloe would never forgive him.

Anxious to distract her, he steered back to the original subject. "I'm just worried about you. Can't you tell me what's bothering you?"

She blew out a resigned sigh. "All right. Here's the scoop: I don't mind hearing you talk about your problems with Lana. I don't mind being filled in on every last little angsty detail of the soap opera that is her life. But every once in a while, I'd appreciate a little attention, too."

His brow furrowed. "But we talk all the time."

"Not lately," she shot back. "You ask for help, I give it to you, you treat me to the weekly episode of Lanaville, and that's it." Her gaze locked on his. "You're not the only one who needs help, Clark. You're not the only one who's hurting. It would be nice if you remembered that."

Clark was confused. "I'm sorry, Chloe. It's just….You haven't seemed to want to talk about being a possible "meteor mutant." I figured you were trying not to think about it."

She blinked away moisture that looked suspiciously like tears. Clark's heart tightened. "I didn't want to rain on your Lana parade," she replied, shrugging. "And, besides, I was hoping you'd bring it up yourself. You never did."

"I'm sorry," he repeated, helplessly. "But….I'm not sure what I could say that would help you."

Her smile took on a bitter edge. "I guess you don't realize what it's like to find out that you're not really human." Her eyebrows arched in mock surprise. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You do."

He heard the quiver in her voice, underneath the sarcasm, and felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

"You're the _only_ one who could really understand how I feel, Clark," she went on, quietly. "You're the only one I could ever talk to about this. But I guess on your planet, friendship is a one-way street."

He gulped. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He touched her shoulder softly, where the loose sweatshirt had slipped down to expose bare skin. His thumb stroked over her collarbone gently, and he felt a shiver go up his spine. "You mean the world to me, Chloe."

Her eyes, rimmed with tears, met his, and her breath came faster. It tickled Clark's cheeks, and warmed him in ways that had nothing to do with the temperature. He leaned down without thinking, and kissed her.

She pulled away with a gasp. "What's that supposed to be? Your way of apologizing?"

Clark dropped his hands reluctantly, shaken, not by his sudden impulse, but by the fact that he didn't regret it one bit. The truth was, he wanted more than anything to do it again. "I don't know where that came from," he said, knowing that his explanation sounded as weak to her as it did to him.

A low "ruff" sounded from knee-level, where Shelby had suddenly appeared. Clark glanced down briefly, and the dog looked up at him with a hopeful expression in his large brown eyes.

Chloe cleared her throat, drawing his gaze back to her. "I think I do," she said slowly, searching his face. "And as flattering as it is to be asked to be your rebound girl after Lana, I'd rather not." Cold eyes fixed on his. "And I don't think Jimmy would like it much, either."

Clark felt his cheeks redden as he watched her turn toward the barn door. He would much rather have forgotten about Chloe's cub photographer. What did she see in him, anyway?

As she headed out, Chloe snapped over her shoulder, "Solve your own mystery, Clark. I'm leaving."

**TBC...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Golden's plan hangs by a thread. Whoever will save the day? _

**Chapter Five**

Shelby let out a yelp, which jolted Clark into action.

Before she'd taken another step, he was in front of Chloe, blocking her way out, his hands laid on her shoulders in gentle restraint.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, flickering in anger, and Clark squirmed, wondering uncomfortably if she'd suddenly developed heat vision. "Let me go," she whispered through clenched teeth.

"Not until you listen to me," he answered firmly, holding her still. She huffed in annoyance and glared, waiting for him to speak.

Instead, Clark studied her face, feeling as if he were seeing it for the first time. He remembered how heartbroken he'd been to see Lana drive away with Lex on her wedding day. Now, he imagined Chloe in Lana's place, as a bride with her new husband, disappearing down the road, while Clark watched.

It was unthinkable.

Why had it taken him so long to realize that?

"I'm listening," she prompted impatiently.

Sighing, he pulled her closer, ignoring her yelp of protest, and wrapped his long arms completely around her small figure. In spite of her squirming, he felt her heartbeat quicken as he pressed her against his chest.

"This isn't a rebound," he whispered at last, breathing the words into her ear. "It's a wake-up call." She stopped struggling, going very still in his arms, and he pulled back to see that her expression had softened. He cupped one hand around her chin; he could feel it tremble, but she said nothing. Her breath came faster, and her lips parted slightly.

"All this time I've thought that losing Lana was the biggest tragedy possible," he said slowly. "I was wrong. I'm hurting, but I'll get through it, because she never was the love of my life."

His eyes found hers. "That's you, Chloe."

Chloe's eyes widened. Gently, he brushed her hair back from her face, running his fingers along her cheek. "Would you consider giving me a chance? In spite of Jimmy?"

She stared at him wordlessly for what seemed like ages, while Clark waited nervously. When she looked away, sighing, his heart sank to his shoes.

"Jimmy's a great guy," she began, turning back to him with solemn eyes, "This isn't fair to him. But I guess I've always known that he's not the love of my life."

The slow smile that spread across her face was intoxicating. With a sense of wonder, Clark bent down to brush his lips against hers, softly exploring every curve with his mouth and teasing every crease with his tongue. At her sigh of pure pleasure, he deepened the kiss, while she laced her arms around his neck, urging him on. His hands traveled caressingly over her back, across her shoulders, and through her silky-smooth hair.

He'd never forgotten how deliciously hot Chloe had tasted, that day in the Talon after she'd been infected with the parasite. But that kiss paled in comparison to the one he shared with her now. Because now it was for real, and he was kissing his best friend.

Having Chloe as a best friend, he decided, was a turn-on beyond belief.

A long time later, Chloe broke off to catch her breath. "That was some wake-up call," she murmured throatily, her breath tickling his ear in a way that sent fresh waves of excitement through his body. "I might need another, though. Y'know, to convince me that I'm not dreaming."

He bent down, eager to comply, when he became dimly aware of something pounding the floorboards in the barn. He glanced up to see Shelby sitting close by, tail thumping loudly. The dog jumped up and trotted over to join them.

Chloe, laughing, reached down to pet him, but as she bent closer to the dog she paused, eyes narrowing. Shelby started to back away.

"Hold it a minute," she commanded, diving for the dog's collar. She peered up at Clark thoughtfully. "Did you notice that his nose and paws are covered in dirt? I didn't think he was the type to roll in the mud."

"Um, no, he isn't," he answered, wishing she would forget the dog. He reached out for her hand. "Where were we?"

"C'mon, Clark, focus."

"I _am_," he replied, suggestively tracing a pattern with his finger on the nape of her neck while she kneeled, examining Shelby more closely. The big dog's tail drooped while he whined softly.

"I meant on _this_," she said, fixing him with a stern look. "Don't forget we've still got a mystery to solve here." She nodded towards his wriggling pet. "I think we might just have found a clue."

Knowing it was useless to try to distract Chloe when she was in investigative mode, Clark sighed and took a closer look at his pet. For the first time, he noticed the drying, caked earth that clung to the dog's front paws and coated the creamy golden fur around his nose.

He stared blankly at Chloe. "Looks like he needs a bath," he said. "So what?"

Her lips curled slowly into a triumphant smile. Clark knew that look; it usually came right before she revealed something that he should have seen himself. "I'd say he'd been digging, wouldn't you?"

Clark's startled glance shifted to his now-quiet dog, who had collapsed on the floor of the barn with a low, unhappy grunt, his nose resting disconsolately between his dirty paws. "So you think it was Shelby? He _was_ sitting right over the hole when I found it empty." The more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

He kneeled in front of the dog, smiling. Shelby's nose remained on the floor, but he eyed Clark watchfully. "Hey, boy," Clark said, cheerfully. "Where'd you hide it? Can you show us?"

Shelby's ears perked, and his tail resumed its thumping rhythm. Without warning, he leaped to his feet and dashed out the door in the direction of the cow pasture.

"Don't let him get away! We'll never find the disk!" Chloe exclaimed in dismay.

Clark peered thoughtfully into the distance. "Don't worry, I'll catch up with him." He grinned and extended a long arm to catch Chloe's shoulder and gather her closer. "So we've got Shelby to thank for this. That's another one that I owe him."

The face she raised to him glowed with happiness, but when she spoke, her voice was stern. "Clark. The dog? The disk?"

He kissed her, quickly but thoroughly, and sighed. Life with Chloe would never be relaxing—but it would never be dull, either. Stepping away from her, he held out his arms. "Want to come along for the ride?"

Chloe's answering grin was as bright as the rising sun. "O.K., partner."

He scooped her up, feeling her warm weight nestling against his chest, and for a second, he felt lighter than air. It was almost as if his feet had left the ground. "O.K., partner."

**TBC...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Like all good masterminds, Golden enjoys the spoils of victory. :)_

**Epilogue**

Golden watched his Boy and Clever Girl hug with a sense of satisfaction. He still didn't understand why that flat metal toy was so important to The Boy; it didn't jingle, it didn't taste good, and you couldn't chew it. Still, Golden had figured out that it was one of his Boy's secrets, which meant that Whiny Girl would naturally want it. He almost felt grateful to Whiny Girl for giving him the idea.

Almost. It was an unpleasant surprise to find out that Whiny Girl had locked his Clever Girl in something called a "wine cellar." He thought that sounded a lot like a cage, and felt a growl rising in his throat at the idea. No one treated one of his minions like that and got away with it. The next time Whiny showed up in his territory, he'd make a point of showing his displeasure. He wondered how her handbag might taste.

Golden watched his Boy and Clever Girl happily, but impatiently. Weren't they getting tired of putting their lips together? When his Boy finally looked up, Golden sprang to his feet, eager to receive the attention he expected, now that he had his minions back.

Clever Girl surprised him, though. Oh well. He should have known that Clever Girl wouldn't be fooled for long. He didn't mind, as long as his Boy and Girl still wanted to play with him. And it looked like they did.

Golden spent the next half-hour running all three of them in circles around his territory, racing to his heart's delight, until Clever Girl and his Boy began to get tired of the game. He could tell, because they were spending a lot more time nuzzling each other at each stop. Finally, a disgruntled Golden retrieved the flat metal toy from his hiding-place (it wasn't far from the barn) and deposited it at his Boy's feet. Sooner or later The Boy would notice it, once he and the Girl quit doing whatever it was they were doing. He padded off to sleep in a sunny spot in the kitchen, sighing.

A few hours later, Golden woke up to the ecstatic sensation of his favorite brush being drawn through the fur on his back. At the same time, perfumed fingers scratched him behind his ears.

"Good boy," Clever Girl cooed, and petted his nose. Golden's tail began to wag.

"We really owe you, buddy," his Boy said, kneeling in front of Golden and setting down a bowl filled with juicy chunks of steak and slices of Cheddar.

Golden's tail went into overdrive. His plan had worked. His minions were back on duty.

It was good to be a mastermind.

**THE END**

**A/N: **_I hope you enjoyed reading this shocking expose of "Shelby," AKA Golden the Wonder-dog! _

_Thanks to everyone for the wonderful feedback; it's good to know I'm not the only one to appreciate Golden's genius. :)_


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